FISA update
Posted By Sika on June 26, 2008
Probably our right to privacy is unimportant.
Probably it was an oversight that allowed it into the Bill of Rights.
All those people who don’t want us to discover exactly how badly the Bush Administration broke the law and exactly what the telecom companies did to enable them in their power grab: Probably they’re right and I’m wrong.
Probably all the money the telecoms gave the Dems who changed their votes against immunity to votes for immunity had nothing to do with their sudden enlightenment.
But just in case:
Senator Dodd gave a skin-tingling, bone-chilling speech yesterday deriding those who are supporting the current FISA bill and the very governmental culture this behaviour encourages (You should really go and read the whole thing; I can’t copy it all, but I want to):
Because of this legislation, none of the questions will be answered, Mr. President. Because of this so-called “compromise,” the judge’s hands will be tied, and the outcome of these cases will be predetermined. Because of this compromise, retroactive immunity will be granted and that, as they say, will be that. Case closed.
No court will rule on the legality of the telecommunications companies activities in participating in the president’s warrantless wiretapping program.
None of our fellow Americans will have their day in court.
What they will have is a government that has sanctioned lawlessness.
Well, I refuse to accept that, Mr. President. I refuse to accept the argument that because this situation is just too delicate, too complicated, that this body is simply going to go ahead and sanction lawlessness.
We are better than that.
And then he beautifully and horribly tied in the FISA behaviour with all the other issues where our government has decided that power is more important than the rule of law, giving terrible examples of the misuse of our name, the misuse of our money, the misuse of our power as the American people and how actions have been made in our name that should bring us shame:
But, we are deceiving ourselves when we talk about the U.S. attorneys issue, the habeas issue, the torture issue, the rendition issue, or the secrecy issue as if each were an isolated case! As if each one were an accident! When we speak of them as isolated, we are keeping our politics cripplingly small; and as long as we keep this small, the rule of men is winning.
There is only one issue here. Only one: the law issue.
If we want even the illusion that the United States of America operates under the rule of law; if we want to continue even to pretend that the United States of America holds a place of moral standing in the world, we must force our lawmakers to make the right, the ethical choice. So call them. Call the senators who aren’t sure how to vote, call the senators you know are voting for immunity, call the senators you know are voting against immunity, call the senator who wants to be our President.
Thank those who are voting against immunity.
Tell the rest that the rule of law must be upheld.
Tell the rest that lawmakers who allow this desecration of the Bill of Rights that they are not deserving of and will not be receiving our support, our money, or our votes.
Tell them that if Barack Obama loses in November, it will not be because of some third party spoiler, or because the Republicans fielded a better candidate; it will be because he has already proven himself to be an oath-breaker and an agent of more of the same.
Tell them, before it’s too late.
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